The rules that governed Jadis’ confinement allowed her to leave the temple district during daylight hours, so long as she was under escort. Not the most draconian of restrictions, she supposed, but not exactly convenient, either. Having a couple of guards trailing her movements was something Jadis was used to, in all honesty. Vraekae had been having her watched for months back in Far Felsen. So what if it was people from the temple, rather than city guards?
As it turned out, Jadis had severely underestimated the nature of her escort.
“This is freaking embarrassing,” Syd growled in low tones as she made her way through the streets of Eldingholt.
“Yes, it is,” Kerr shot back, her own voice barely kept in check. “Why couldn’t my bonded lover be just a teensy, tiny bit less trouble? Because this shit right now is fucked.”
“Divine punishment for past deeds, I’m sure,” Aila replied with her head held high as Kerr stuck her tongue out at her from behind. “I think we need to turn left at this intersection.”
Jadis struggled not to look around her selves as she followed her redheaded lover down the street. Compared to her march through the city earlier that morning, there were significantly more people out and about since it was now well into the afternoon. Everywhere she looked there were dozens, if not hundreds, of people. And almost all of them were staring at her.
Jadis had never been bothered by crowds. Public speaking hadn’t been an issue in school and while she’d never actively sought to be the center of attention, she had always stayed calm and collected when she was put in the position of being a large group’s focus. However, having hundreds of strangers staring at her everywhere she went did put a prickle of sweat between her shoulder blades. That slight discomfort, something that under most circumstances she could easily push out of her mind, was amplified by the fact that twenty heavily armored guards were following close behind her and they were not being subtle about it.
Roy, the flamboyantly handsome goblin paladin who led Lyssandria’s paladin order, served as Jadis’ escort while she walked the city streets. With twenty knights of the Lady’s Grace temple order following behind in lockstep formation, there was no such thing as an unobtrusive walk about town for Jadis.
Not that Jadis was likely to get around the capital without being recognized everywhere she went anyway. She was literally three pale, giant women. There weren’t many crowds she’d be able to blend in with.
Even though it was embarrassing to have such a huge escort following her around everywhere she went, the one nice thing about having Roy and his knights in tow was the fact that no one tried to approach Jadis. While all eyes were on her, the heavily armed and armored knights served as a pretty solid deterrent to any of the people who might have otherwise approached Jadis and gotten in her way. She was on something of a time crunch and wouldn’t have had the time to stop every few feet to greet everyone who looked like they wanted to approach her. Back in Far Felsen, Jadis had been a known figure and she had happily smiled and waved back at the various soldiers and merchants she passed by. She’d even stopped to chat with some of the ones she had grown acquainted with. But here in the capital, there were far too many people to even think about having that kind of casual conversation with. Not unless she wanted to waste the whole day.
Then again, as Jadis eyed the expressions of the people she passed by, she wasn’t sure many of them would have been happy to shoot the breeze with her. That could have been because of the rumors that were circulating about her supposed cultist involvement. Or it could have had something to do with the Demon riding on her back.
Alex had listened when Jadis had insisted she stay put in the temple while she visited Kestil. It seemed one departure a day was her limit, though. When Jadis had set out to find Noll, Alex had refused to be left behind to the point that Jadis was certain that if she had tried to leave without her that Alex would have broken out of the temple in her attempt to follow. Rather than risk creating some kind of incident, she’d let the bratty demon tag along, which meant Alex was happily latched onto Dys’ back as they made their way through the city streets.
Jadis had a strong suspicion that Alex’s presence alone was enough of a deterrent that no one would be willing to approach her, guards or no guards.
While the trek through Eldingholt was mildly embarrassing, it was at least unimpeded. The place Aila led Jadis, Kerr, and Alex to was a well-respected inn located on the northern side of the city. The Silver Lute wasn’t the most expensive place in the capital, but it was certainly one of the finer establishments in the city. It was also the place Noll had told Aila he’d be staying while he was in town. Fortunately, it was only a twenty-minute walk away from the temple district.
Walking through the large doors of the Silver Lute, Jadis let out a small sigh. The lobby of the inn was warm, inviting, and most importantly, empty. While Roy followed her and her companions into the building, the twenty knights remained outside. Jadis wasn’t sure if she could have handled having that many guards riding her ass the whole time, so their momentary absence was a relief.
Once inside, Aila quickly went over to the wide-eyed receptionist and asked her if Noll was available. Of course, there was always the possibility that the mercenary was out doing his own thing and if that had been the case, Jadis would have just left him a message telling him to come by the temple when he got back. However, luck was on their side and the woman attending the counter pointed them to the large bar and dining area that was attached to the main inn.
Thanking the obviously flustered woman, they wasted no time in making their way over to the bar where they found the old wolf sitting at a small table by himself. Seeing them coming, Noll stood without a word and moved to a larger table that could accommodate them all. Thankfully, Roy didn’t try to join them and instead made his way over to the bar where he hopped up onto a seat and immediately began hitting on the attractive elven bartender.
“I told you I’d work on finding you some prospective members,” Noll said gruffly as Jadis moved some seats out of the way so her three bodies could sit on the floor. “But I don’t work that fast.”
“I know, and thank you,” Jay said as she shot the old man a grin. “I’m not here for that, though.”
“We need some information and we thought you were the person most likely to be able to help,” Aila said as she laced her fingers together before resting her hands on the table before her. “You’re originally from Bastoc, yes?”
Noll’s yellow eyes narrowed as he considered Aila’s question. Without revealing much of anything, he inclined his head.
“Yes.”
“Were you in Bastoc when Hraustrekr annexed the city?”
Jadis could sense more than see the hackles rise on Noll’s back at Aila’s second question.
“Why?”
The growl in Noll’s single word made it clear that this was not a line of discussion the old mercenary was interested in continuing. Even Aila’s perpetually cool demeanor cracked slightly as her eyes flicked between the dark-furred therion and the others sitting at the table.
“Because I want to know what really happened,” Dys said, pulling Noll’s attention to her and rescuing Aila from his glower. “I’ve heard the summary from what others have read in the history books. I want to know what went down from someone who was actually there. If that’s not a story you want to tell, that’s fine. Point me to someone who you think wants to talk and I’ll get the info from them.”
Noll’s sour mood didn’t outwardly improve, but his low, rumbling growl quieted. Jadis waited patiently as Noll sat silently in his seat, coming to his own decision in his own way. He wasn’t a talkative man at the best of times, so Jadis knew that this topic wouldn’t be an easy one for the merc to discuss. After a long and tense minute, Noll raised his clawed hand and got the attention of one of the waiters that was attending the scant few other patrons in the dining hall.
“A round of calvados,” he told the man before putting a few coins into the waiter’s hand.
It took only a moment for the server to reappear with the requested drinks, which turned out to be some kind of strong brandy that smelled like apples. Once everyone had a drink, including one confused and curious Demon, Noll addressed Jadis’ inquiry.
“I was there. What do you want to know.”
“Alright,” Jay let out a small breath as she organized her thoughts. “I want to know what exactly happened. By that I mean, did Hraustrekr do what he did because he thought he was helping? Or did he just take advantage of a bad situation? Or was it something else? I’m trying to get an idea of how the guy operates.”
Noll snorted derisively before taking a sip from his glass, which was quite a feat considering his canine muzzle.
“How am I supposed to know what that milksop was thinking? I was just some dumb kid back then, not much older than you pups. I wasn’t any confidant of my own king, much less a foreign prince. He came, he conquered, that’s the end.”
“So he did conquer Bastoc,” Jay pressed. “I mean, he purposefully took over, right?”
“Of course he did,” Noll growled. “You don’t accidentally execute a whole royal family, much less two of them.”
“What?” Aila exclaimed, sitting up even straighter. “What do you mean? The kings of Bastoc and Thassia both died in battle, as did their sons.”
“Yes, they did,” Noll nodded as he met her gaze. “And isn’t that convenient that all the fighting men on both sides would die in battle. How unfortunate for their wives. And what of their wives and daughters? What happened to them? The children too young for their first class? What do you think happened to them?”
Aila’s expression turned doubtful as she glanced towards Jay. The bitterness in Noll’s sarcastic questions couldn’t be missed and was clearly making Aila uncomfortable.
“I read that they were imprisoned briefly before later being released after both families relinquished their rights to the throne.”
“Right,” Noll curled his lip to reveal his sharp canines. “And that’s why you’ve never heard of them since.”
“Well, I can’t say that I’ve paid much attention to the whereabouts of abdicated royalty.” Aila said as she shifted awkwardly in her chair as Noll’s sharp gaze scrutinized her.
“You’re saying that Hraustrekr had them killed?” Jay redirected the conversation so that Noll would look at her. “Why?”
“Lineage,” Kerr answered for Noll after gulping down half the glass of brandy. “It’s not a new story. If you’re going to be taking over a country, you don’t want any whelps born from the previous management’s loins to show up and make claims to the throne. Pretty inconvenient to have the family of someone you killed show up and demand vengeance.”
Noll grunted in agreement before turning his attention back to Jay.
“Hraustrekr came to Bastoc with promises of aid and thinly veiled threats of violence if that aid was not accepted. He moved his armies into our city so that the war with Thassia could be ended quickly, but once the fighting was done his armies never left.”
Noll’s version of events was an unhappy one, but not particularly shocking. Jadis hadn’t grown up in the environment, but she was no stranger to the idea of conquest and cutting off family lines so that new rulers could take control. She’d paid attention in history class back on Earth. What was being described wasn’t outlandish at all and it did support the idea that Hraustrekr would take advantage of weakness in other nations to gain power for himself. But as harsh as Hraustrekr might have been with Thassia and Bastoc’s royal families, that didn’t mean that he had purposefully manipulated events to his favor.
Though, it didn’t mean he hadn’t, either.
“Do you think the war between Bastoc and Thassia happened because of Hraustrekr?” Jay asked bluntly.
Noll’s expression didn’t change much; the man had an impressive poker face. But he did pause long enough that Jadis could tell he was thinking over her question with a great deal of care.
“Maybe,” he finally answered. “But not likely. We were always on bad terms with Thassia. Wouldn’t take much to set either side off, but I doubt it was Hraustrekr. Faithstone Village. That was Hraustrekr.”
“Faithstone Village?” Jay asked. “Was that the place where the fighting spilled over the border?”
Noll snorted in disgust. Finishing off what remained of his drink, he put the glass down with a loud thunk before pointing a clawed finger at Jay.
“Faithstone Village had no strategic value. Just some middle-of-nowhere village on a border river with less than a hundred people to its name and barely a palisade in place. It had been built less than five years before and it wasn’t even on the regular merchant circuit. Why would Bastoc or Thassia bother with it?”
“Are you saying the village was never attacked?” Aila questioned with a frown. “That it was just a lie, an excuse to get involved?”
“No,” Kerr growled as she leaned back in her chair, a disgusted look on her face. “He’s saying it was setup. He’s saying Hraustrekr destroyed Faithstone and killed all the people there himself to have the excuse.”
Silently, Noll leaned back in his own chair and nodded at Kerr, marking his agreement with her conclusion.
“Do you have any evidence to support that claim?” Jay pressed.
She felt like she was arguing against a hard-rooted belief, which wasn’t her goal. But conspiracy theories could only fly so far. Facts were what would make the difference in her future decisions.
“No,” Noll shook his head, much to Jadis’ disappointment. “But I was a soldier in Bastoc. I fought on the western border. My brother was a captain, as was my mother and my uncle. Most of my family were in the army. Not one of us knew of a single company of soldiers that were stationed anywhere near Faithstone Village when it was massacred. After the war, I met many warriors from Thassia. Not one of them ever told me they had been to Faithstone or knew of anyone who had been.
“Maybe shame would keep their teeth locked,” the old wolf growled. “Maybe all who were involved are long dead. But in forty years I have never found one man who admitted to have been in battle at that damned border village. Make of that what you will.”
With those last words, Noll stood from his chair and stalked away from the table to head up the stairs of the inn. Jadis didn’t try to stop him. The man had said more than he usually ever did about anything, and the conversation had clearly pained him with old wounds. Considering how much he obviously hated the first prince, Jadis had to wonder why Noll even worked as a mercenary inside the empire and not for other nations. But that was a question she’d have to ask another time, after the old wolf had had time to cool.
Eyes meeting Aila and Kerr’s, Jadis shared the same silent thoughts with her two lovers. Whether or not Hraustrekr had purposefully orchestrated the war between Bastoc and Thassia or the destruction of an entire village and all the people within, what had become clear was that the first prince was a man more than willing to take advantage of bad situations for his own benefit. Kestil’s accusations were looking less farfetched by the second.
The unspoken communication between the three of them was broken when a mist of bourbon sprayed across the table from Alex’s mouth. While they had been focused elsewhere, Alex had gulped the whole glass and had apparently had a negative reaction to the taste.
Alex had her foot-long blue tongue hanging out of her mouth as she used her hands to animatedly wipe the calvados off if it. As Jadis and Aila stared at the Demon, Kerr laughed and put an arm around her shoulder.
“That’s alright squid girl,” Kerr reassured the Demon with a grin. “Nobody likes this shit right away. Going to have to work you up to the good stuff. Waiter! Going to need a round of ale over here!”
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